Yaaaawn…
I went to a Christmas lunch today and drank too much wine. I’m not much of a daytime drinker, so it’s floored me. I am a sleepy bunny.
Hey, guess what’s on TV next week?
December 11, 2025 — 7:13 pm
Comments: 7
Now that you mention it
In the thread below, Uncle Al laments that cargo ships containing whisky never run aground. Au contraire!
In 1941, the SS Politician ran aground near the isle of Eriskay carrying 22,000 cases of scotch whisky. The locals salvaged it – in the middle of the war, they must have thought this was heaven – and got prosecuted for their trouble.
It spawned a novel (haven’t read), a 1949 movie (have seen) and a 2017 remake (haven’t seen).
I don’t remember it all that well, but I suspect the film had a happier ending.
December 10, 2025 — 5:59 pm
Comments: 4
Bananas!
Sixteen containers washed up on West Sussex beaches: eight containers of bananas, two of avocados, one of plantains and five empty. The Coastguard said you have to report anything you find or you’re breaking the law, but then said it doesn’t apply to perishables.
Seems to me they could have given plainer advice than that. Can we pinch bananas or not? Eh, never mind…too far to drive for a free banana.
As you might imagine, the English Channel is a busy, busy waterway. This is a fun tracker for ship watching – like FlightRadar24, but for boats. One of the fish and chip shops we go to has this playing on a big monitor in the main room and I find it kind of hypnotic. Doesn’t like my VPN, though.
December 9, 2025 — 4:43 pm
Comments: 3
Two cats, two statues
So I tried to follow up on this story about a cat statue in Kyoto Park, which is (confusingly) in Kyiv, Ukraine. AI found it confusing, too, because it led me to this story about a whole ‘nother cat from Kyiv, Ukraine with a statue (the one above).
Note: I would normally stick to the good old English spelling of Kiev, but the articles quoted say Kyiv, so it felt weird.
The first cat was some kind of special needs cat (that’s the bit I wanted to know more about) named Tyapa who got nursed along for seven years, and the big Persian beast named Pantyusha lived in an Italian restaurant until it had a fire and smoke inhalation got him.
Both stories at the respective link. Neither one is very interesting, but I piddled away my afternoon following this up, so I share.
December 8, 2025 — 5:12 pm
Comments: 5
I haven’t posted?!
Sorry, everyone. Late home and frozen stiff. Have a good weekend!
.
Posted from my phone, which is a lame-ass Pixel 7
December 5, 2025 — 5:47 pm
Comments: 6
Shoot, we missed it
Hastings is the last town in Britain to celebrate Catterning and Clemmening. It was on November 28. It’s where a man dressed as a blacksmith and woman depicting Saint Catherine walk around the town and…pass. No idea. Ask for apples? Read it at the link.
The Bonfire Society has a lot to answer for.
Have I ever mentioned that Hastings is my family seat? It’s where at least one branch of the family was said to hail from. It’s even a family name.
I don’t know how to tell them it’s not a very nice town.
December 3, 2025 — 5:54 pm
Comments: 9
Border Agents Find Sedated Parakeets Hidden in Man’s Underwear at Entry
Title says it all. Though, looking at the picture, I’m pretty sure those are parrots.
I gave the headline as a prompt to MidJourney and it refused the commission until I changed “underwear” to “trousers”. It really is like someone’s maiden aunt.
December 2, 2025 — 5:01 pm
Comments: 5
🅷O🆆 🅳O🅴🆂 🆃🅷🅸🆂 🆆O🆁🅺?
T𝔥𝔦𝔰 𝔦𝔰 𝔫𝔬𝔱 𝔞𝔫 𝔦𝔪𝔞𝔤𝔢, 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕚𝕤 𝔸𝕊ℂ𝕀𝕀 𝕥𝕖𝕩𝕥. 🄸 🄷🄰🅅🄴 🄽🄾 🄸🄳🄴🄰 🄷🄾🅆 🄸🅃’🅂 🄲🄾🄿🅈🄸🄽🄶 🄵🄾🄽🅃 🄸🄽🄵🄾🅁🄼🄰🅃🄸🄾🄽 🅃🄷🄰🅃 🄿🄴🅁🅂🄸🅂🅃🅂, 🄴🅅🄴🄽 🄸🄽 🄽🄾🅃🄴🄿🄰🄳. ς𝐀𝔫 ʸόย 尺𝔢𝕒𝐃 ＴĦเş ค𝐥Ｒ𝕀Ǥ𝓗𝓽? ℕ𝕠?
December 1, 2025 — 4:34 pm
Comments: 6
Well, this is awkward
This image, I mean. It’s awkward. I asked the robot for a Thanksgiving dinner with all weasels this time and most of them were similar to the badgers one. Except this one, which has a real “you farted” vibe.
Naturally, I went with it.
Our roast beast was excellent, and now I’m boiling bones to make a stew. We’ll try that slow cooking method again.
Have a good weekend, everyone!
November 28, 2025 — 3:29 pm
Comments: 3
Happy Thanksgiving!
I told it “thanksgiving dinner but badgers and weasels around the table” and this is what I get. Badgers obviously have better PR.
Joke’s on the robot – we’re having roast beast of Olde Englande. I never realized until Uncle B pointed it out that Americans have two turkey holiday meals less than a month apart, and then no turkey again for ten months.
It usually takes us that long to eat the leftovers.
November 27, 2025 — 4:21 pm
Comments: 12